Mercy colleague with juftice, fending the Man's friend, his mediator, his defign'd Both ranfom and redeemer voluntary, And destin'd man himself to judge man fall'n. So fpake the Father, and unfolding bright Tow'rds the right-hand his glory, on the Son Blaz'd forth unclouded Deity; he full Refplendent all his Father manifeft Exprefs'd, and thus divinely answer'd mild: Father Eternal, thine is to decree ;
Mine both in heav'n and earth to do thy will Supreme, that thou in me, thy Son belov'd, May'ft ever reft well pleas'd. I go to judge On earth these thy tranfgreffors; but thou know'st, Whoever judg'd, the worst on me must light, When time fhall be, for fo I undertook Before thee; and not repenting, this obtain Of right, that I may mitigate their doom On me deriv'd; yet I fhall temper fo Juftice with mercy, as may illuftrate moft Them fully fatisfied, and thee appease.
Attendance none fhall need, nor train, where none Are to behold the judgment, but the judg'd, Those two; the third, beft abfent, is condemn'd, Convict by flight, and rebel to all law: Conviction to the ferpent none belongs.
Thus faying, from his radiant feat he rofe Of high collateral glory: him thrones and powers, Princedoms, and dominations, miniftrant Accompanied to heav'n gate, from whence Eden, and all the coaft, in profpect lay. Down he defcended ftrait: the speed of gods
Time counts not, though with fwifteft minutes wing'd. Now was the fun in western cadence low
From noon, and gentle airs due at their hour To fan the earth now wak'd, and usher in
The ev'ning cool, when he from wrath more cool Came the mild judge and interceffor both
To fentence man. The voice of God they heard, Now walking in the garden, by foft winds,
Brought to their ears, while day declin'd; they heard, And from his presence hid themselves among The thickest trees, both man and wife, till God Approaching, thus to Adam call'd aloud : Where art thou, Adam, wont with joy to meet My coming feen far off? I miss thee here, Not pleas'd thus entertain'd with folitude, Where obvious duty ere while appear'd unfought : Or come I lefs confpicuous, or what change Abfents thee, or what chance detains ? Come forth. He came, and with him Eve, more loath, though first T'offend, discountenanc'd both, and difcompos'd: Love was in not their looks, either to God Or to each other, but apparent guilt, And shame, and perturbation, and defpair, Anger, and obftinacy, and hate, and guile, Whence Adam falt'ring long, thus answer'd brief : I heard thee in the garden, and of thy voice Afraid, being naked, hid myself. To whom The gracious judge without revile reply'd : My voice thou oft haft beard, and hast not fear'd, But ftill rejoic'd: how is it now become So dreadful to thee? That thou art naked, who Hath told thee? haft thou eaten of the Tree, Whereof I gave thee charge thou should&t not eat? To whom thus Adam fore befet reply'd:
O Heav'n! in evil ftrait this day I ftand Before my Judge, either to undergo Myfelf the total crime, or to accule My other felf, the partner of my
Whofe failing, while her faith to me remains,
I should conceal, and not expofe to blame
By my complaint; but strict neceffity
Subdues me, and calamitous constraint,
Left on my head both fin and punishment,
Wouldft easily detect what I conceal.
However infupportable, be all
Devolv'd; though, should I hold my peace, yet thou
This Woman, whom thou mad'ft to be my help,
And gay'st me as thy perfect gift, so good,
So fit, fo acceptable, fo divine,
That from her hand I could fufpect no ill, And what he did, whatever in itself, Her doing feem'd to justify the deed; She gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
To whom the Sov'reign Prefence thus reply'd: Was fhe thy God, that her thou didst obey Before his voice; or was she made thy guide, Superior, or but equal, that to her
Thou didst refign thy manhood, and the place Wherein God fet thee above her, made of thee, And for thee, whose perfection far excell'd Hers in all real dignity? Adorn'd She was indeed, and lovely to attract
Thy love, not thy fubjection; and her gifts Were fuch as under government well feem'd, Unfeemly to bear rule, which was thy part And perfon, hadft thou known thy felf aright. So having faid, he thus to Eve in few :
Say, woman, what is this which thou hast done?
To whom fad Eve, with fhame nigh overwhelm'd
Confeffing foon, yet not before her Judge
Bold or loquacious, thus abash'd reply'd:
The ferpent me beguil'd, and I did eat.
Which, when the Lord God heard, without delay To judgment he proceeded on th' accus'd Serpent, though brute, unable to transfer The guilt on him who made him inftrument Of mischief, and polluted from the end Of his creation; juftly then accurs'd, As vitiated in nature: more to know Concern'd not man (fince he no further knew) Nor alter'd his offence; yet God at last To Satan first in fin his doom apply'd,
Though in mysterious terms, judg'd as then beft; . And on the ferpent thus his curse let fall: Because thou haft done this, thou art accurs'd Above all cattle, each beat of the field; Upon thy belly grovelling thou shalt go, And duft fhalt eat all the days of thy life.
Between thee and the woman I will put
Enmity, and between thine and her feed ;
Her feed fhall bruife thy head, thou bruife his heel. So fpake this Oracle, then verify'd
When Jefus, Son of Mary, fecond Eve,
Saw Satan fall like lightning down from heav'n, Prince of the air; then rifing from his grave, Spoil'd principalities and powers, triumph'd In open thow, and with ascension bright Captivity led captive through the air, The realm itself of Satan long ufurp'd, Whom he fhall tread at laft under our feet ; E'en he who now foretold his fatal bruife, And to the woman thus his fentence turn'd: Thy forrow I will greatly multiply By thy conception; children thou shalt bring In forrow forth; and to thy husband's will Thine fhall fubmit: he over thee fhall rule.
On Adam last thus judgment he pronounc'd: Because thou haft hearken'd to th' voice of thy wife, And eaten of the tree, concerning which I charg'd thee, faying, Thou fhalt not eat thereof, Curs'd is the ground for thy fake; thou in forrow Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life; Thorns alfo and thiftles it fhall bring thee forth Unbid; and thou fhalt eat th' herb of the field, In the fweat of thy face fhalt thou eat bread Till thou return unto the ground; for thou Out of the ground was taken; know thy birth, For duft thou art, and fhalt to duft return. So judg'd he Man, both Judge and Saviour fent, And th' inftant stroke of death denounc'd that day Remov'd far off; then pitying how they stood Before him naked to the air, that now Muft fuffer change, disdain'd not to begin Thenceforth the form of fervant to affume, As when he wash'd his fervants feet; fo now, As father of his family, he clad
Their nakedness with skins of beasts, or flain, Or as the fnake with youthful coat repaid;
And thought not much to clothe his enemies: Nor he their outward only with the skins Of beafts, but inward nakedness, much more Opprobrious, with his robe of righteoulness Arraying, cover'd from his Father's fight. To him with fwift afcent he up return'd, Into his blissful bofom reaffum'd
In glory as of old to him appeas'd
All, though all-knowing, what had pafs'd with man Recounted, mixing interceffion fweet.
Meanwhile ere thus was finn'd and judg'd on Earth,
Within the gates of Hell, fat Sin and Death,
In counterview within the gates, that now Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame Far into Chaos, fince the Fiend pafs'd through, Sin opening, who thus now to Death began:
O Son, why fit we here each other viewing Idly, while Satan, our great author, thrives In other worlds, and happier feat provides For us his offspring dear? It cannot be But that fuccefs attends him; if mishap, Ere this he had return'd, with fury driven
By his avengers, fince no place like this Can fit his punishment, or their revenge. Methinks I feel new ftrength within me rife, Wings growing, and dominions giv'n me large Beyond this deep; whatever draws me on, Or fympathy, or fome connatural force,
Powerful at greateft diftance to unite With fecret amity things of like kind By fecreteft conveyance. Thou my fhade Infeparable muft with me along;
For Death from Sin no power can separate;
But left the difficulty of paffing back
Stay his return perhaps over this gulf
Impaffable, impervious, let us try
Adventrous work, yet to thy power and mine Not unagreeable, to found a path
Over this main from hell to that new world
Where Satan now prevails, a monument
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